December 24, 2024 - Kīlauea summit lava fountain

A telephoto view of lava fountains erupting within Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera) the afternoon of December 24. This eruption began on December 23 with vigorous lava and volcanic gas effusion, which decreased throughout the day until the eruption paused around 4:00 p.m. HST. Renewed, low-level eruption of sluggish lava began around 8 a.m. HST this morning, December 24, and around 11:00 a.m. HST, more gas-rich lava began reaching the surface causing fountaining to become more vigorous. Increased fountaining accompanied by increasing tremor and the resumption of summit deflation mark the onset of a second eruptive episode. USGS photo by H. Winslow.